Following the worldwide prohibition or reduction of the use of paraquat, the equivalent, pyridine derivative diquat, is rapidly rising as one of the best substitutes with great potential for growth.

Compared with glyphosate and glufosinate, which have similar business potential, diquat has a good effect on crop rotation, replantation and drying up, in addition to its outstanding herbicidal performance. Also, diquat is not as affected by temperature as glufosinate, thus avoiding the weak effect of glufosinate under low temperatures.

From the present market application perspective, the cost of application of glufosinate, diquat and glyphosate looks to decline step by step, which is, to a certain degree, correlated with the level of maturity of the process, cost of raw materials and capacity of production.

Up to date (July 10, 2018), there have been 129 diquat-based product registrations in China, of which, significant increases were achieved in 2017 and 2018. Among the registrations, 36 diquat registrations were granted in 2018 till date (inclusive of four technical material products and 32 aqueous solution products). The diquat registration trend from 2007 to July 2018 is shown as follows:

The diquat registration trend from 2007 to July 2018

The details show that there are currently no technical material products within validity. There are 15 technical concentrate products in total, including one diquat dichloride technical concentrate. Diquat technical concentrate registrations of each year are as follows: